From that day forward, Percy's personality and energy took a turn for the better. Everyone noticed, from Percy's parents to their friend group. Annabeth Chase pulled Will aside days later, tears in her gray eyes, smile wide and real.

"Thank you. Thank you for helping him."

She hugged him, and while hugging back, he couldn't help but feel that she'd legally be apart of his family someday. She cared about Percy in that way.

Later that same day Jason gave him a hug, whispered in his ear "good job", patted him on the back and looked back to a laughing Percy.

It was good. It felt so good to see his cousin happy. Actually happy, not just that front he had up when Will first arrived in Frostford.

But he was still working on the others. Nico, Leo, they were still hurting.

"You can't save everyone," his mother would have said. "Don't burn yourself up to give them light."

But they had been in the dark too long and he didn't mind burning if it meant warming them for even a little bit.

Especially Nico. He'd do anything for Nico.

And after that day he promised to help him live, to help him love life again, his grades slipped and school was just a place to exist with Nico by his side.

Because that building would always be there, Nico wouldn't.

And that's how he found himself sitting by Nico next to the lake, their feet in the water, Percy swimming nearby and a pile of homework unattended at home.

Fall was still coming and the heat was still boiling.

"How are you feeling?" Will asked, his head on Nico's shoulder and his lips so desperately wanting to kiss that neck.

Nico glanced down at him and then at his lips before smirking as if he knew exactly what Will was thinking. "Hot. You?"

"Sweating."

Percy splashed them before pulling himself up from the lake. "Don't go making out by the lake. Horrible area."

Nico's face and ears burned red while Will couldn't stop the retort that came from his own mouth. "Been there, done that."

"Will!" Nico hissed.

Percy laughed, and all the anger drained from Nico's face.

"How far?" Percy teased. "I swear, if you two were giving each other-"

"Percy!" Nico cut in.

"We weren't, we weren't," Will promised. "But we did have-"

"Will!"

Percy's eyes bulged and his voice lowered to a whisper. "You two...seriously?! My little cousin, not a virgin?" He grinned before wincing. "In a lake? What, you have a pain kink-"

"Percy Jackson-"

"Is Nico even clean?"

Nico grabbed a rock from below the water and threw it at Percy's chest. "Stop!"

Percy let out a gasp of air before holding his chest. "Dude!"

Will grabbed Nico's hand and gave it a squeeze, his eyes on that red face, looking for any signs of real anger. But all he saw was normal embarrassment.

And that love for Percy. If it had been anyone else that said that shit, they'd be dead. But it had been Percy and he still hadn't said the word "gay" and Nico was in love with that boy.

But the minute anyone actually said they were gay or together, that peace in Nico would slip. Will could see it tottering on the edge.

He looked over and saw that the others hadn't been able to hear. The closest was Annabeth, but she was busy doing her homework while sunbathing. Then there was Piper and Leo further down the lake, water guns pointed at each other while standing on two large rocks. Leo had some kind of plant stuck in his hair while Piper had rocks as ammo piled at her feet.

"When it finally gets colder, we'll have to find someplace else to hang out," he thought out loud.

Percy took the change of subject as smoothly as Nico needed. "We have the bunker. That's usually where we spend the winter."

Nico's cheeks were slowly becoming their normal color. He gripped Will's hand back. "Or we can still swim if the lake isn't frozen yet."

Percy grinned and Will facepalmed.

"Do you want hypothermia?" Will asked. "Because that's what's going to happen. And there's no real hospital around here to take you. It's like, what, at least a whole city over?"

"There's the hospital in town," Nico argued.

"That's not a hospital, that's a clinic," Will corrected. "It can only hold like five patients."

"Five patients are more than it ever gets."

"That doesn't make it a hospital."

"Who cares?" Percy laid on his back in the shallow water. "I more care about the fact that I'm starving."

Will felt his own stomach growl at the mention of food. "Your mom's probably making dinner soon. I think she said it's pot roast tonight."

"Oh hell yeah." Percy pulled himself up and rose to his feet. "Mom made pot roast, I'll see you all tomorrow!"

Will looked to Nico as Percy moved to say goodbye to Annabeth. "Are you going to eat with us?"

Nico played with Will's fingers, his own blood having stained them as it did his own. "I have to feed Hazel first. I can meet you there."

Will nodded in acceptance. Hazel needed to eat, too, no matter how bad he wanted Nico to come with him then.

"Would you take care of her if something happened to me?" Nico asked. "If I got hurt somehow, like I crashed my bike or something."

Will ran a hand through Nico's hair. "Why's your mind in that dark place?"

Nico shrugged and got the same look he always had when he thought about his house, his dad. "Just promise me you would."

"I would, I promise," Will answered immediately. "But you're going to be fine." He paused, spoke softer. "You shouldn't be this scared to go home."

Nico ignored the comment like he did every time and rose to his feet, that smiley-face keychain hanging from his pocket and his hairpin right in place. "I'll meet you at your place, okay?"

Will nodded. "I'll see you there, Nico. Stay safe."

And then Nico was gone, heading towards his bike. He could hear Leo yelling that a fish was stuck in his water gun, and Percy was kissing Annabeth goodbye, and everyone was happy besides the boy getting on his motorcycle.

Will sat beside Percy at the dinner table, drinking from a glass of water, watching Sally put food on plates, and worrying about Nico. What was the worst his father had done to him? Was the worst only to come?

Percy wasn't as worried as Will was. Maybe he didn't know the half of what Will did.

"Mom, you'll never believe it," Percy said. "Will lost his virginity to Nico."

"Percy!" Will covered his cousin's mouth. "Don't tell people that!"

"Don't tell people that at the dinner table," Sally corrected. "But I already knew, dear, or I figured it out. Now drop that topic while your siblings are in the room."

"Nico doesn't want anyone to know," Will insisted. "He...he's scared of people knowing he's gay. Please, none of you say anything to anyone else."

"Is that why I'm not allowed to say you two are together?" Percy asked. "Cause everyone knows."

Will nodded. "I...I think it's to do with his dad. He doesn't want him to find out so he's afraid of anyone saying the words."

Sally and Poseidon exchanged dark looks that didn't go unnoticed by the two teenagers.

"What?" Percy asked.

Sally leaned over to help Tyson cut his meat with a soft whisper of "little bites" while Poseidon had a sudden fixation with his plate.

"Mom."

"After the kids go to bed," she finally relented. "We'll talk after they're asleep."

Will and Percy shared a look but let the topic go. No matter what, it was best to hold off. Those little kids didn't need to hear anything bad.

His plate had red roses hand-painted on the front while his fork was a slight crimson. He wondered who in Sally's family the china had come from, how old it was, if it would still be there after he and Nico and Percy were all dead and gone. Who would live in that small house in the woods after them? How long after their deaths would it be abandoned, torn down, taken over by the woods again?

Did normal people even think about that?

Percy was on his expected second out of fourth helping, and Will had still been finishing his first when the front door opened. Will had to take a second to remind himself that this was normal, that people didn't really lock their doors here unless they were going to bed. And then after that second Nico di Angelo came strolling into the room, braided hair redone, hairpin in and eyes dark. His right eye was swollen shut. A little blood dripped from his lip.

"Nico, are you okay?" Will stood up and dropped that red fork, the prongs picking up dirt and whatever else was on that wooden floor. Sally also stood up, her eyes sad, no shock on her face.

"I'm fine..." Nico looked at Sally. "Mind if I have a plate?"

"It's already made." Sally gestured for him to pull up a chair before grabbing a plate off the counter. "Here. What do you want to drink?"

Nico pulled the chair beside Will and sat with his plate. "I can just share Will's, it's fine. Thank you, Miss Sally."

Will moved his glass of water where Nico could reach before wiping the blood off his chin. "What happened?"

Nico stared at the blood now on Will's finger before looking at his plate. "Nothing."

"You're bleeding from nothing?"

A nod.

"What about your black eye? Is that also from nothing?"

Nico nodded again.

Will wrapped his arm around Nico's waist but didn't push the topic further. Not when Nico was safe in his arms. "Eat up."

Nico rolled his eyes but began to eat. Percy was staring over with a concerned look, something that said "I'll kill whoever hurt you", and it made Will wonder who killed the one that hurt Percy.

There was a murderer in Frostford, and he only just realized because he thought about murdering anyone that hurt Nico